SG/NT April 2017: A Visit To Hell

Herself & Der Mann in Hell; it wasn’t quite frozen over, but the snow indicates that it was, in fact, a cold day in Hell

Hell, Michigan is a nifty little place. It’s literally a wide spot in the road, and consists of a saloon, a diner, a gift shop, a mini-golf game, and a chapel where they do actually conduct weddings. They go above and beyond to lure victims welcome visitors with everything from hats and sunglasses to an ice cream bar for those really hot days.

It’s kitschy, it’s cute, and it calls to my little black heart. You can get an exit visa, t-shirts, magnets, even a (scorched) postcard that you can send from the tiny post office so it’s actually postmarked Hell. I love it there. There’s just something wonderfully Gothy – though it’s not particularly gothic – about visiting Hell. One of these day, I must convince Der Mann to dress so we can take some photos in Hell. Then perhaps a picnic on the border of Hell? Hmmmm….

I’ve been to Hell several times since Der Mann and I moved here. What made the birthday trip special was that I found someone who was Of My People.

This is a real thing; one doesn’t realize how tribal we are until we are separated from Our People. It makes a difficult situation (say, moving several states away) even harder if we cannot find people that share our interests or lifestyles.

So, the person working in the Hell Gift Shop was One of Us. She turned me on to several things and events in Michigan, including the Lansing Zombie Walk, and The Dark Art of Michigan group, and Detroit’s Science Fiction convention, ConFusion. (I knew about the Renaissance Faire already, having attended last year…and there’s another blog post for later). There is the Dark Arts Bizarre in May – just what it says: creepy, gothic artwork and crafts, then Hell-O Summer Fest in June (in Hell, of course), that is about art, entertainment, and Halloween in the Heat. This should be much fun, as well as an opportunity to meet some people.

While no one will replace my real tribe, it will be nice to (perhaps) find an alternative place to belong.

Now, the important question: what am I going to wear to these events?

And then the vital question: what boots am I going to wear?

While the Cold Day in Hell was fun, I believe Herself enjoyed the coffee at Brewed Awakenings more.